These
statistics were compiled by Ciata
Victor, webmaster of TLC Africa website.

At
the start of this project, my goal was to determine the number of Liberians
living in the United States. As through as I tried to be, I soon realized
that I would only be able to collect a subset of the information on Immigration,
because until the 1980s, information on Liberians entering the US, was
not separated into it's own category. Although some previous statistics
were not available, the 2003 Yearbook of Immigration Statistics , provided
valuable information on "The Number of Liberians in the United States".
At best, this is only an estimate. Immigration is fluid and numbers regarding
death, relocation outside the US and other similar types of statistics
were not taken into consideration for this publication.

Immigration
data was evaluated and compiled from the following categories

Enforcement
- to determine the number of Liberians deported

Immigrants
- to determine the number of Liberians with Green Cards

Naturalizations
- to determine the number of Liberians with US Citizenship

Refugees/Asylums
- to determine the number of Liberian Refugees and Asylum

Temporary
Admissions - to determine the number of Liberians on TPS / DED

United
States Visa Classification

Nonimmigrant
Visas - Temporary in their nature, nonimmigrant visas apply to those
who want to enter the USA for a specific yet temporary purpose such
as a visit, study or work.

Immigrant
Visas - Those who successfully apply and are granted an immigrant
visa are provided with permanent residency status and are issued
a "Green Card"

Refugees
- any person who is outside any country of such person's
nationality or, in the case of a person having no nationality, is outside
any country in which such person last habitually resided, and who is
unable or unwilling to return to, and is unable or unwilling to avail
himself or herself of the protection of, that country because of persecution
or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion,
nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.

Asylum
- may be granted to people who are already in the United States
and are unable or unwilling to return to their home country because
of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race,
religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political
opinion.

Prior
to 1980, the primary reasons for Liberians entering the US, were Business,
Pleasure, Student and Exchange Visitation, with majority of them returning
at the end of their stay. After the Coup on April 12, 1980, migration
of Liberians started, and new classifications were added to their immigration
status including Immigrant, Asylum and Refugee.

Liberians
as a separate category did not show up in the US census until 1990, when
8,797 persons listed themselves as having at least one Liberian Ancestry.
By 2000, the number had almost triple to 25,575. On the question of TPS,
I could only find estimates, the current estimates for the number of Liberians
on TPS in 2004, was between 15,000 - 20,000.

I
was able to find some statistics on Liberian Settlement and Refugees in
the UK. UNHCR, estimates that by the end of 2002, 250 Liberians had
been admitted into the UK as Refugees. According to the UK Home Office,
3,015 Asylum Applications were received between 1990 and 2003 from Liberian
nationals, and 2,770 decisions were made.

Applications
Received between 1990 - 2003

Decision
Made

Granted
Asylum

EL,
HP & DL Granted

Refused

Refused,
Appealed, then allowed

Asylum
Application Granted Protection between 1990 - 2003

3,015

2,770

80

950

1,735

125

1,155

EL
- Exceptional Leave

HP
- Humanitarian Protection

DL
- Discretionary Leave

Between 1997 and 2003, 537 Liberians had been granted British Citizens.

Conclusion

The
number included in this publication, does not include children of Liberian
immigrants, non-immigrants and Refugees, born in the United States.

Although
I showed the number of Liberians listed in the 1990 and 2000 US Census,
those numbers were not included in the statistics total, because a portion
of their numbers would have been counted on entry into the US, and the
others considered US citizens, because they were born in the US.

Remember,
this is only an estimate. Thanks for visiting TLC Africa, Website, and
I hope you find our website informative and this statistic useful. For
questions, comments and opinions, contact Ciata
by email at toadoll@gis.net

West Africans Immigrants who
Entered the US between 1989 and 2003 - This
does not include numbers for nonimmigrants, refugees, asylees and
adopted orphans

Table
2

1989

1990

1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

Liberia

1,175

2,004

1,292

999

1,050

1,762

1,929

2,206

2,216

Ivory
Coast

98

184

347

259

250

268

289

432

430

Ghana

2,045

4,466

3,330

1,867

1,604

1,458

3,152

6,606

5,105

Guinea

45

67

84

104

102

97

152

220

158

Cameroon

187

380

452

236

292

305

506

803

898

Nigeria

5,213

8,843

7,912

4,551

4,448

3,950

6,818

10,221

7,038

Sierra
Leone

939

1,290

951

693

690

698

919

1,918

1,884

Senegal

141

537

869

337

178

213

506

641

435

Mali

18

34

63

55

51

55

94

124

97

Burkina
Faso

11

8

8

16

11

16

17

17

13

Gambia,
The

71

170

159

93

76

93

153

207

176

Guinea-Bissau

9

8

14

8

D

-

D

D

24

Mauritania

9

D

9

D

9

10

22

26

51

Togo

29

30

33

45

41

52

83

157

222

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

Totals

Liberia

1,617

1,358

1,575

2,285

2,879

2,850

27,197

Ivory
Coast

364

305

439

605

630

485

5,385

Ghana

4,458

3,714

4,344

4,031

4,256

4,416

54,852

Guinea

46

6

3

11

16

29

1,140

Cameroon

691

826

865

795

985

927

9,118

Nigeria

7,746

6,769

7,853

8,291

8,129

7,892

105,674

Sierra
Leone

995

976

1,590

1,884

2,250

1,496

19,133

Senegal

373

370

555

665

530

522

6,872

Mali

83

72

109

120

106

125

1,206

Burkina
Faso

14

17

48

68

64

60

388

Gambia,
The

227

183

232

391

343

263

2,837

Guinea-Bissau

165

134

204

274

290

177

1,307

Mauritania

78

24

88

117

124

131

698

Togo

246

254

388

489

935

1,188

4,192

Total

239,999

Statistics
on Liberians in the United States

Summary

Liberians who entered the United States between 1980 - 2003

Liberians
Admitted into the US under various classifications

Estimates
of the number of Liberians in the US, using Immigration value for
number of Refugees

Estimates
of the number of Liberians in the US, using UNHCR value for number
of Refugees

Nonimmigrant
Admitted

41,631

41,631

Immigrants
Admitted

27,197

27,197

Visitor

14,000

14,000

Refugees
Arrival in the US

16,904*

27,076*

Refugee-Status
Applications Approved

981

981

Immigrants-Orphans
Adopted by US Citizens

22

22

Deportable
Aliens Located by Status at Entry *

102

102

Aliens
Removed by Deportation

-420

-420

Total
number

99,607

110,589

*UNHCR
reports that by September 30, 2003, , 27,075 refugees had arrived
in the United States, this is 11,251 more then the 16,904 number
I tallied using numbers from the 2003, Immigration Year Book. If the number
of refugees is adjusted to UNHCR number, the total number of Liberians
in the US will be estimated at 110,589.

Year

Nonimmigrant
Admitted

Immigrants
Admitted

Visitors

Refugees
Arrival in the US

Refugee-Status
Applications Approved

Immigrants-Orphans
Adopted by US Citizens

Deportable
Aliens Located by Status at Entry *

Aliens
Removed by Deportation

Annual
Totals

2003

2,743

2,850

2,957

981

22

-26

9,527

2002

4,029

2,879

559

-36

7,431

2001

2,928

2,285

3,429

-42

8,600

2000

4,322

1,575

2,620

71

-46

8,542

1999

2,196

1,358

2,495

-38

6,011

1998

2,537

1,617

1,494

-49

5,599

1997

2,216

231

-45

2,402

1996

992

2,206

46

-33

3,211

1995

1,701

1,929

52

-37

3,645

1994

2,183

1,762

610

-36

4,519

1993

1,000

1,050

1,000

961

31

-31

3,741

1992

999

1,000

637

2,636

1991

1,292

1,292

1990

5,000

2,004

4,000

3

11,007

1989

1,175

1,175

1985

6,000

4,000

10,000

1981

6,000

4,000

10,000

Totals

41,631

27,197

14,000

16,094

981

22

102

-419

99,607

*
- Counted because they were allowed in and held or identified
for deportation -

Other
Interesting Statistics

Immigration,
US Census and other Totals on Liberians in the US

Year

Number
of Liberians Naturalized

Refugees
and Asylees Granted Lawful Permanent Residence Status

Liberiangranted
Permanent Residence

Liberians
granted Asylum by USCIS Officiers

Persons
who reported at least one Liberian Ancestry Group in US
Census

Liberians
on TPS / DED (This is not a cummulative total)

2003

918

353

20,000

2002

1,048

599

2001

782

760

15,000

2000

1,027

678

25,575

1999

848

669

10,000

1998

557

495

1997

719

478

1996

1,104

703

1995

745

614

1994

609

398

1993

453

1,766

240

1992

361

203

1991

356

53

9,000

1990

10

8,797

1946-
2003

7,489

9,527

9,255

6,153

20,000

Statistics
on the Liberian Population in the UK

Data
from the UK 2001 Census showed 1,577 Liberians living in the UK, 980 males,
687 Females. 520 Liberians were granted settlement in the UK between 1998
and 2002 and 537 were granted British Citizenship between 1997 and 2003.

Grants
of British Citizenship to Liberians in the UK

Year

Number
of Grants

1997

7

1998

24

1999

24

2000

63

2001

110

2002

140

2003

170

Total

537

T

L

C

A

F

R

I

C

A

I

N

T

E

R

N

E

T

M

A

G

A

Z

I

N

E

Statistics
on Liberian Refugees Worldwide

2003

2002

2000

1999

1998

1997

Guinea

110,000

90,000

100,000

160,000

240,000

400,000

Sierra
Leone

60,000

3,000

7,000

10,000

15,000

15,000

Ivory
Coast

50,000

90,000

130,000

125,000

200,000

320,000

Ghana

35,000

10,000

10,000

13,000

15,000

15,000

Nigeria

3,000

2,000

2,000

5,000

5,000

Other
African Countries

2,000

USA
& Europe

20,000

Repatriated
to Liberia

2,000

40,000

80,000
- 100,000

240,000

10,000

Glossary

Asylum
- is a form of protection that allows individuals who are in the United
States to remain here, provided that they meet the definition of a refugee
and are not barred from either applying for or being granted asylum, and
eventually to adjust their status to lawful permanent resident.

DED
- Like TPS, DED is a temporary protection from removal which is granted
to aliens from a designated country. Unlike TPS, DED is designated by
the Office of the President of the United States of America, as a constitutional
power to conduct foreign relations. The Secretary of Homeland Security
can designate a country for TPS, but the President is the one to designate
DED for nationals of a particular country by Executive Order or Presidential
Memorandum. DED was first used in 1990 and has been used a total of five
times.

DL
- Discretionary Leave

EL
- Exceptional Leave

HP
- Humanitarian Protection

Refugee
- the United States considers persons for resettlement to the U.S. as
refugees. Those admitted must be of special humanitarian concern and demonstrate
that they were persecuted, or have a well-founded fear of persecution
on account of race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership
in a particular social group.

TPS
- Temporary Protected Status (TPS) is a temporary immigration status granted
to eligible nationals of designated countries (or parts thereof). In 1990,
as part of the Immigration Act of 1990 (IMMACT), P.L. 101-649,
Congress established a procedure by which the Attorney General may provide
TPS to aliens in the United States who are temporarily unable to safely
return to their home country because of ongoing armed conflict, the temporary
effects of an environmental disaster, or other extraordinary and temporary
conditions.

Liberia:
TPS registration period August 25, 2004 to February 21, 2005

USCIS
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), a component of
the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).